The best of the best

The PFA player award has been narrowed down to a 6 man short list. 6 players who have lit the Premier League up with dazzling performances, and have earned them a spot on the prestigious list containing the ‘best of the best’ for the 2012/2013 season.

The list consists of:
Robin Van Persie (Manchester United)
Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur)
Michael Carrick (Manchester United)
Luis Suarez (Liverpool)
Juan Mata (Chelsea)
Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

There is no doubt that the 6 players on the list possess unique qualities that sets them apart from the rest, and have time and time again come up trumps when their team has needed them the most. But only one will win the prestigious title of PFA Player of the year. Who will it be?


Eden Hazard has endured a very good
first season in the Premier League



6) Eden Hazard

 Although Hazard has enjoyed a successful first season in the Premier League following his highly publicised £35 million move from Lille to Chelsea, he only deserves 6th place on the list. He had an electric start in the Premier League, scoring 1 goal and assisting 6 in his first 3 games at the club. However, he fell away in the middle part of the season and although he has recently shown glimpses of returning to the form he produced at the start of he season, his dip of form in the middle part of the season has cost him challenging for the award. But he’s definitely a player for the future, and I’m certain he’ll be in the running for PFA Player of the season in the coming years.  

5) Michael Carrick 

Michael Carrick has been consistently
good throughout the season

I would give Carrick the 5th place. I've never been a fan of Carrick, I used to believe that he epitomised the average sort of player that had dragged English football down in the past. But all credit to Carrick, he has proved me wrong and has proven his worth at Manchester United. However, despite the high level of performances he has produced this season, I still think he could be a weak link in the Manchester United side. There is no doubt that there are better defensive midfielders in the world which command the midfield with purpose and authority, and I think for United to take the next step they'll have to replace him with a younger, better player. 

Juan Mata has proven his qualities since
moving from Valencia to Chelsea in 2011

 4) Juan Mata 

The 3 amigos (Oscar, Hazard + Mata) have been extremely influential for The Blues this season, but it is Juan Mata who has been the pick of the bunch. The former Valencia has been in electric form this season, assisting an incredible 16 goals whilst also scoring 10 goals of his own. Although Chelsea may not be competitive in the Premier League at this late stage of the season, if Chelsea do earn Champions League football, most credit must be given to Mata as he has been Chelsea's saviour on several occasions this season.

 

'RVP' celbrating the goal that has been
described as goal of the century by
United boss, Alex Ferguson

3) Robin Van Persie
He may have won Manchester United a lot of points on his own in the first half of the season, but he hit a blip in the latter stages and has not recovered sufficiently for me to be in the running for the crown. Although he is likely to win the Golden Boot (after Suarez's 10 match ban) I think his drought in the middle of the season, where he scored 1 goal in 12 games, may have cost him. A superfluous performance whereby he scored 3 goals, including a goal of the season contender to help win the title for United against Villa may bring him back into contention, but I think he'll just be pipped to the crown.

Bale has transformed into one of the best
players in the world in the past 2 seasons

2) Gareth Bale

 I honestly could not pick between the top 2, and the Welsh wing wizard can be considered himself unlucky if he does not pick up the accolade. He's just incredible. His presence in the Tottenham first XI is vital, and it was evident how much they struggled when he was out, as they fell back in the race for Champions League football and crashed out of the Europa League. Maybe one of the quickest players ever to grace the Premier League, Bale has the ability to race past players with ease, and combined with his venomous left foot, makes him a huge threat to any defence. 12 goals in his last 13 games at the time of writing highlights his quality, and with similar traits to Ronaldo, I expect much more of him in the future. He is easily in the top 5 best players in the world, and I hope he is rewarded with a move to one of the world’s top clubs in the coming years.


'King of the Kop' - Luis Suarez

1) Luis Suarez
Ok I admit, I'm slightly biased. But I've seen nearly every single minute this year, and he has been sensational. On his day he is unplayable, and we have seen on a number of occasions this year of his talent, most notably against Norwich where he tore their defence apart with his skill and cunning up front. He’s managed to score 23 goals and assist 10 goals in 33 games this season, and has virtually picked up nearly every single one of Liverpool's points this season on his own. Moreover, to date he only missed 1 game this season compared to Bale’s 5 missed games, and this has been a key factor in preferring Suarez over Bale. Ok, he can be controversial, and his absurd bite on Ivanovic may have cost him the crown, but based solely on performances, Suarez's class just edges out Bale for me.